E-Waste Recycling Program Tops 13M Pounds

Not so long ago, we reported that 80 percent of California residents were within 1o miles or less of an Ecollective e-waste recycling center. That easy access appears to have paid off, as Ecollective recently announced that over 2.5 million pounds of e-waste has been collected through Ecollective locations in Southern California, and 13 million pounds statewide.

Ecollective reports that it is a leading contributor to the state’s SB-20 e-waste recycling initiative, offering local businesses and charities a valuable revenue stream. (Ecollective locations are paid a fee for TVs, computer monitors and other electronics that are sold to ECS Refining.)

image via Environmental Protection Agency

Michael Catanzaro, director of sustainability at the University of San Diego, said, in a statement, “The money that the university makes goes solely to two things: sustainability funding and student scholarships. After we pay for the center to be open, we take the money and put it towards student scholarships for the university.” He goes on to note that the university appreciates being able to do something good for the environment that is socially responsible that also has a positive impact financial impact on the university as a whole.

The Ecollective program is a service of ECS Refining, an electronics recycler that says it is focused on ethical and environmentally responsible recycling. Currently, there are 286 Ecollective recycling drop-off locations throughout the state of California.

Susan DeFreitas has covered all manner of green technology for EarthTechling since 2009. She is a graduate of Prescott College for the Liberal Arts and the Environment, and has a background in marketing green businesses. Her work on green living has been featured in Yes! Magazine, the Utne Reader and Natural Home.